In a world where people have plenty of conveyancers to choose from, here’s how to make your company stand out.
Garth Brown from Brown & Brown Conveyancers shares his tips for differentiating your business in the conveyancing market and retaining clients.
To grow your conveyancing firm’s business, you need to stand out. You need to be proactive, meet your clients where they are and engage their interests over the long term.
But how do you do this? Here are my top five tips.
1. Have an engaging, optimised website
Whether people find you online or from a referral, your website will often be the first place prospective clients go. It’s your shopfront, so make it engaging.
Design your website’s content around the questions and problems your firm solves for clients (but I recommend against outlining costs).
Don’t talk about yourself too much, but make sure to include a brief bio stating your qualifications and experience, including industry associations and awards.
Make sure your site is optimised for mobile to make it easier for your clients to find you on the go, and add links to your LinkedIn profile, Twitter, and Facebook pages.
2. Get active on social media
Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, is a great way to introduce clients to the person behind your firm and build trust.
I post articles I’ve written across all my social media and share links to news that I think my followers will find interesting.
I also publish professionally produced videos on YouTube where I discuss, for example, the five most common questions when buying and selling a property.
You don’t have to do it all yourself – I manage the Facebook posts and someone else looks after LinkedIn and Twitter.
3. Maintain client relationships
Keeping in touch with clients is a crucial part of a successful conveyancing business – so give them a call occasionally to ask how they’re going. If you have a good ongoing relationship, they’re more likely to use you again or recommend you to a friend.
Establish a strong relationship with new clients by sending them a thank you card and a small gift such as a box of biscuits.
If you have a large database, you can segment clients into categories such as ‘good to deal with and paid on time’ or ‘not so easy’. This way you know how to approach them in future.
4. Send e-newsletters
The biggest growth in my business has come from past clients who know and trust me. One of the most effective ways to keep in touch with them is through a monthly e-newsletter that contains news and advice to help demystify the conveyancing process.
I address topics such as property deposits, contracts, self-managed super funds, tenants and title insurance.
I then re-use the content in my blog and on social media.
5. Design an app
Step outside the mainstream by designing a free app for your clients. It might sound a bit over the top, but it’s that extra step that helps me win and retain clients.
My app covers topics such as FAQs, tips for exchange of contracts, stamp duty calculators and settlement calculations. It also includes my email address and a phone number direct to my office.
You’re not only offering useful tools, but establishing yourself as an expert. It’s surprisingly easy – I planned the detail of what I wanted my “Ask Conveyancer app” to do, and my tech team built it.
Marketing takes time and skill, so it’s a good idea to get help from technical and marketing experts. If you do it well, you’ll boost both your business and your reputation as a leader in the field.
For a step by step guide to operating a successful Conveyancing / Legal Practice, click here to Garth Brown’s ebook.
